Tamav Irene
Claim to fame: Abbess of the Abu Seifein Convent and one of today’s most loved Coptic nuns. She was deeply involved in efforts to bring to light women’s real contribution to monastic life in Egypt.
Quote: “Would that each day we say to the Lord, ‘I surrender to You, O Lord, my life: Let my heart and my soul and my body and my thoughts, my night and my day, and my life be all Yours. Let it be fruitful.” – Mother Irene
Fun fact: She suffered from physical ailments for 25 years. The night before an operation for a blocked artery, St. Philopateer Mercurios appeared to her and told her that he came to perform the bypass operation for her. The next day, the American physicians found Tamav Ireni’s arteries to have been cured.